Combined panel heating



May 19, 1959 J. G. BARAN 2,887,565

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:09 ooooo .oeo oeooooooqo o 00 ooooooooou 0o 0 or eoeoooopo one 00 oo 'Ed000,e0co 00000000005 Elva/afar -13 7%. M Z Wffia/"Zaq United States Patent COMBINED PANEL HEATING, COOLING, AND LIGHTING SYSTEM Joseph G. Baran, Chicago, 111., assignor to Burgess- Manning Company, Libertyville, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Application June 11, 1956, Serial No. 590,747

12 Claims. (Cl. 240-9) This invention relates to functional ceiling structures; more particularly, to a ceiling system which includes means for heating or cooling a room and lighting the same.

The ceiling surfaces of rooms have long been used as the proximate source of heat for the room and its occupants. The ceiling surface is heated by suitable means and the radiant energy emitted from the heated surface is absorbed by all surfaces within the room to which the ceiling is exposed, or by multiple re-radiation therefrom, to supply the heat necessary'for comfort. More recently, such panel heating systems have been employed for cooling purposes, the ceiling surface being cooled below the temperature of surfaces within the room with the result that radiant heat from the warmer surfaces is absorbed by the cooler ceiling surface.

With certain types of panel heating and cooling structures, as, for example, the suspended ceiling systems of Patent No. 2,718,383 to Gunnar Frenger, and Baran pending application Serial No. 374,866, filed August 18, 1953, now Patent No. 2,818,235, dated December 31, 1957, acoustical correction for the room may be combined with the heating and cooling system by providing a suitable layer of sound absorbing material above the heating and cooling panels, the panels being pervious to sound whereby noise from the room may pass therethrough to the sound absorbing material.

Various lighting systems and types of lighting fixtures have been adapted for use with the ceiling panel heating system. It has been the practice to mount the desired type of fixture in the ceiling structure at distributed locations, the lighting element being either somewhat below the surface of the ceiling or approximately in the plane of the ceiling. Location of the lights below the ceiling surface is frequently considered to be undesirable from the standpoint of appearance in that the lights interrupt the continuity of the ceiling and give a trashy effect.

Installation of the lights in the plane of the ceiling reduces the amount of surface effective for the radiation of heat into or absorption of heat from the room below, thus diminishing the heat exchange capacity of the ceiling.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 526,900, filed on August 8, 1955. The principal object ,of the present invention is to provide a ceiling panel heating (and/or cooling) system with which is combined the primary artificial lighting means for the room. A further object is to provide such a combined system of lighting and heating wherein the lighting elements are located entirely above the plane of the ceiling surface. A still further object is to provide a combined ceiling panel heating (and/or cooling) system with an artificial lighting means wherein a predetermined special relationship of the lightsources and the panel elements is achieved.

Additional features and the merits of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a combined heating and lighting system;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the panel units used in the suspended ceiling of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of the panel of Figs. 1 and 2; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are detailed views showing the construction of a part of the panel of Fig. 3.

In each of the several embodiments of the invention herein illustrated and described, the panel heating and cooling structure comprises a suspended ceiling supported from a gridwork of pipes which is hung below the slab or other building structure over the room to be heated or cooled and lighted.

As shown in Fig. l, a plurality of spaced pipes 1- are arranged in a horizontal plane below the slab or building structure 2 from which the pipes are suspended by suitable means not shown. The pipes 1 are parallel to each other and serve to support a lighting unit 21, by means ofsupporting arms 4 and also ceiling panels 18. The latter are formed from sheet metal, preferably aluminum or other metal having a high coefiicient of thermal conductivity. Flanges 6 on opposite sides of each panel terminate in semi-cylindrical sections 7 which conform to the curvature of the pipes 1 and extend around approximately ninety degrees, or somewhat less, of the pipe. Spring clips 8 clamp the curved portions of the panel flanges to the pipes for the purpose of supporting the panels and also providing for good thermal contact between the panel flanges and the pipes.

The flange and the clip structure is more fully described in the above mentioned Baran application Serial No. 374,866, now Patent No. 2,818,235, dated December 31, 1957. A plurality of panels 18 provide the radiant heating or cooling ceiling surface for the room, receiving heat from, or being cooled by, water circulated through pipes 1.

The lighting element 9 of the lighting fixture is an elongated element, such as a fluorescent tube which serves as a source of light. The fixture, including supporting arms 4, exactly spans the distance between a pair of adjoining pipes 1. It rests upon the pipes, arms 4 advantageously terminating with curved seat portions 10 adapted to rest snugly upon the supporting pipes. Clips 8 are arranged at locations which avoid interference with the arms 4 of the lighting fixture, or, if desired, the clips may be somewhat larger and pass over the curved seating elements 10 at the extremities of the arms to hold the fixture firmly to the pipes.

In this combined lighting and heating and cooling system, the surfaces of panels 18 exposed to the room are heated or cooled by conduction of heat through the metal of the panels, including flanges 6, from or to the pipes 1 which, in turn, are heated or cooled by circulation of warm or cool water through the pipe grid system, and the room below the suspended ceiling is heated or cooled by radiation accordingly. At the same time, light from the lighting fixtures, mounted above the suspended ceiling, shines through the openings 19 (described hereinafter) provided in the panels 18 to light the room. The intensity of the light in the room depends upon the number and intensity of lighting elements provided, it being contemplated that the lighting fixtures above the radiant panels will provide the primary artificial lighting for the room and not merely ornamental lighting. A

light fixture may be provided for each panel, if desired, and the fixture may be of such length as to span two or more panels. If it is necessary to install lighting fixtures between adjacent runs of piping, they may be staggered to avoid interference of the supporting arms upon the pipes.

are provided with a slot 19 at the median line between the sides thereof which are equipped with flanges 12 for supporting the panels from pipes 1. The slot 19 is formed by cutting and turning up portions of the sheet metal from which the panels are formed, providing loo-- vers 20. These louvers extend throughout the length of the slot along the sides thereof. The slot is substantially the same width as the width of the lower portion of reflector 22, and is not substantially wider than the diameter of tube 9. This arrangement assures the widest possible diflusion of light from tube 9 into the room, with a minimum of reflection from panel 18 upwards towards the tube. The reflector 22 directs the light from fluorescent tube 9 or other elongated element downwardly through slot 19 and into the room. Due to the elevation of the light source above the surface of the ceiling panels and the narrowness of the slot, the light is not ordinarily seen by a person in the room except when viewed from almost directly under the light or in a direction lengthwise of the slot.

If desired the radiant heating and cooling panels 18 may be perforated, as shown, and a layer of sound absorbing material 23 cemented or otherwise fastened to ceiling slab 2 to provide a sound absorbing acoustical. correction, as well as lighting and heating and cooling, for the room. The exposed surface 24 of the sound absorbing material is preferably reflective to, augment the heat insulating capacity which is almost invariably inherent in the sound absorbing material.

The ceiling panel illustrated in Figs. 3-5 incorporates an additional improvement over that shown in Fig. 2. A series of rectangular strips 25 are carried by the flange louvers 20 to further shade the light sources from within the room. Vertical slots 26 are cut to limited depth throughout the length of louvers 20 and the rectangular louver elements 25 may be similarly slotted, as at 27. The louver elements 25 may be inserted into the slots 26 provided to hold them in position just prior to installation of the panel in the suspended ceiling structure to form an egg-crate louver system.

The egg-crate louver system, spaced below the lighting fixture, shades the light so that a person in the room does not ordinarily see the light source unless he looks almost directly upwardly. The number of lights em- It will be appreciated that many other modified forms of the structure shown may be used in the practice of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto. All of such modified structures are deemed to be within the scope of the invention.

Invention is claimed as follows:

1. A combined panel heating and cooling and lighting system for a room comprising a plurality of spaced substantially horizontal pipes adapted to be heated or cooled. by the circulation of fluid therethrough, said pipes being arranged overhead with respect to said room, an integral radiant ceiling panel extending between two of said pipes and demountably supported thereby in thermal contact therewith and forming a ceiling exposed to said room, said panel having a slot therein between said two pipes and a lighting element located parallel with and directly above said slot to shine downwardly therethrough into said room, said lighting element being supported upon said pipesindependently of said ceiling panels.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said panel slot is of a width not substantially greater than the width of said lighting element.

3. A system in accordance with claim 2 wherein the lighting element is a single elongated tubular element whereby the slot occupies only a small area of the ceiling, panel. along the median line thereof between the pipes.

4. A system in accordance with claim 1 and including louvers extending upwardly from each side of the slot.

5. A system in accordance with claim 4 and including a series of spaced vertical louvers extending across the slot throughout the length thereof.

6. A combined panel heating and cooling and lighting system for a room comprising a plurality of spaced horizontal pipes adapted to be heated or cooled by the circulation of liquid therethrough, said pipes being arranged overhead with respect to said room, an integral sheet metal panel extending between and demountably supported by two of said pipes in thermal contact therewith, said panel having a slot therein midway between said two pipes and parallel therewith and a lighting fixture arranged above said panel and having an elongated lighting element located parallel with and directly above said slot to shine downwardly therethrough into said room, said lighting element being supported upon said pipes independently of said panel.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said slot is of a width not substantially greater than the width of said lighting element.

8. A system in accordance with claim 6 and including louvers extending upwardly from each side of the slot.

9. A system in accordance with claim 8 and including a series of spaced vertical louvers extending across the slot in the panel throughout the length thereof.

10. A combined panel heating and cooling and lighting system for a room comprising a plurality of spaced horizontal pipes adapted to be heated or cooled by the circulation of liquid therethrough, said pipes being arranged overhead with respect to said room, a series of abutting respectively integrai sheet metal panels, each panel extending between and independently demountably supported by two of said pipes in thermal contact therewith, a plurality of said panels each having a slot therein between said supporting pipes, lighting fixtures supported upon said pipes independently of said panels and arranged one above each of said slots, each of said fixtures having an elongated lighting element coextensive with and directly above its associated slot to shinedownwardly therethrough into said room.

11. An integral panei unit for a combined heating and cooling and lighting system for a room comprising a sheet metal panel having upstanding flanges along opposite sides thereof, said flanges terminating in semicylindrical portions adapted to engage pipes for supporting said panel unit, said panel having a slot therein midway between and parallel with the flanged sides of said panel, and louver flanges integral with said panel upstanding along both sides of said slot.

12. An integral panel unit in accordance withclaim 11 and including a series of spaced vertical louvers extending across the slot and supported by the louver flanges throughout the length of said slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Italy Aug. 6, 1953 

